Jobs, unemployment both lower

By Joel Dresang
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Wisconsin lost 17,800 jobs in the last 12 months while the unemployment rate continued to improve from year-ago levels, the state reported today.

The bulk of payroll losses came from manufacturing employers, who had 13,300 fewer jobs last month than in June 2007, according to the report from the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development. Educational and health care services kept adding jobs, up 8,800 from June 2007.

The June unemployment rate, estimated from separate household surveys, dropped to 4.9 percent last month from 5.1 percent in June 2007. Workers who stop looking for a job are not counted in the unemployment estimates, which is one reason that the unemployment rate can drop even while jobs are fewer.